PASTOR’S CORNER, Rev. Jason Toombs, Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Liberal
On Jan. 6, the Church of the West celebrates the Wise Men coming to view the newborn King of the Jews. We have the union of Jew and Gentile, as these sages from afar, following yonder star, were not Jews but Gentiles. They read the prophecy which Daniel left behind in Babylon, as the faithful people of God spread the proclamation of His redeeming work on their behalf as He comes to save Jew and Gentile.
They wanted to gaze upon the beautiful face of this One long prophesied, especially as Isaiah writes, “I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.” Jesus comes as a light for all people, shining brightly in this sin-darkened world in which we find ourselves, especially as He fulfills all righteousness.
Sin has tremendously impacted this world of ours. The wages of sin is death, and death has ruled over this world as all things tend toward death. Not just humanity, as human sin has even caused the death of animals, trees, grass, flowers, and everything that we see. Businesses, even thriving businesses, fail. Governments fail. Congregations fail. Yet the Lord does not fail, nor can the Church fail because God is the One directing and guiding her ways.
Because of sin’s impact on creation, especially the pinnacle of creation, mankind, we need God to act, as we can never fulfill His righteousness. All our righteousness is as polluted garments, to paraphrase Isaiah from another portion (64:6). If a righteousness of our own cannot save, we need another righteousness, an alien righteousness if you will. No, not alien as in extraterrestrial nor not native, but One Who comes to give us His righteousness. In other words, we need the surpassing righteousness of Christ Jesus if we desire to be saved from our trespasses.
Christ comes to do what sinful mankind cannot do: live perfectly by fully obeying the will and law of the Father. This is summarized in the Ten Commandments, as we can never keep them fully throughout the day, as we sin much. Yet Christ comes to do what humanity, humanity apart from God, couldn’t as He comes to fulfill all righteousness as He comes to fulfill all righteousness.
As we look at our lives on this sin-filled earth, our eyes are opened to some of the sinning that we do. Yet we more readily see the sin in others, as we like to give ourselves a pass and say that we are not as sinful as our neighbors. Dear Christian friends, this should not be. God doesn’t grade on a curve, saying that some things are more sinful than others. One little sin is enough to damn you to hell forever. Yet our sins are not little; our sins are a great affront to the holiness of the Holy One.
While we can never achieve the righteousness that God requires, Jesus has more than enough righteousness to give to us. He perfectly kept the will and law of the Father, perfectly obeying the Ten Commandments as He walked the narrow way, neither slipping from God’s path nor stumbling in His walk with God, and paid the punishment for our sins and trespasses.
His righteousness was not for Himself; it was for you. For your trespasses and condemnation, Jesus came down to live before God in righteousness and give to you His righteousness as it overflows from Him for you and to you. The righteousness of Jesus is great enough to save real sinners from real sins. No sins are too big for Jesus, nor are any sins too small for Jesus to cover with His Blood shed on Calvary’s cross.
His righteousness overflows Him, and it comes in an overwhelming flood as He pours it out for you. It washes over you, just as water can, to wash and make you clean. It is the same in Baptism as God washes you and makes you clean. His righteousness bubbles up from within as He puts it inside of you to cleanse that sinful heart and makes it clean. Everything Christ Jesus does, He does for you.
Along with His righteousness, Jesus gives you sanctification, perfect holiness as His holiness is poured out for you, and redemption as He rescues and saves you from all the unrighteousness in this sinful world. All this Jesus gives to you.
Jesus gives you His righteousness. He pours it out for you. He gives it to you whenever your sins would condemn you before the Father. He gives it to you when the ravages of sin have done their worst. He gives it to you as you need Him to do everything to win your salvation. He gives it to you because you matter to Him.
